21 September 2022
by Richard Scott
Computer render of NGDS Configuration D. (Safran)
Safran Electronics & Defense has revealed details of a new variant of its New Generation Dagaie System (NGDS) trainable decoy launcher engineered for compatibility with NATO standard 130 mm countermeasures rounds.
The system, known internally as NGDS Configuration D, is being bid for the UK Royal Navy's (RN's) Electronic Warfare Counter Measures (EWCM) Increment 1a requirement. EWCM forms part of the RN's overarching Maritime Electronic Warfare Programme (MEWP), which is intended to recapitalise surface ship electronic surveillance, electronic warfare command-and-control, and soft-kill anti-ship missile defence.
NGDS uses a two-axis launcher capable of training in both azimuth and elevation to achieve optimum placement of the soft-kill decoy payload effect. The original 12-round launcher developed by Safran for the French Navy is compatible with Lacroix Defense 150 mm calibre SEALEM and SEALIR decoy rockets, respectively, deploying advanced radio frequency (RF) and infrared (IR) payloads.
18 March 2024
by Richard Scott
Naval Group's Black Sword Barracuda design has been selected as the basis for the Netherlands' Walrus-class replacement submarine programme. (Naval Group)
The Netherlands has selected France's Naval Group as its preferred bidder for a new class of conventional submarine to replace the Royal Netherlands Navy's (RNLN's) current Walrus-class boats.
Naval Group, offering its Black Sword Barracuda design, was chosen ahead of rival proposals from Saab (bidding the C718 expeditionary derivative of Sweden's A26 design) and Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (pitching the Type 212CD E expeditionary variant of the German/Norwegian Type 212CD). The Black Shark Barracuda is a scaled, conventionally powered derivative of the French Navy's Suffren-class nuclear-powered attack submarine.
Announcing the provisional award on 15 March, State Secretary for Defence Christophe van der Maat described the French offer as “a balanced, versatile, and realistic bid”, adding, “Dutch industry has a strong role to play, [which is] an important requirement in this award.”
15 March 2024
by Michael Fabey
With the keel being laid in 2022 for carrier Enterprise , the expected delivery date for the ship was scheduled for March 2028. The ship is now to be delivered in September 2029. (Janes/Michael Fabey)
Industry supporters caution that any delays in the previously planned acquisition schedules of aircraft carriers could have a cascading effect on cost and schedule in the wake of proposed carrier schedule changes in the proposed US Navy's (USN's) fiscal year (FY) 2025 budget, released on 11 March.
“Overall, changes to a shipbuilding plan do not help the industrial base, they harm it,” Lisa Papini, president and CEO of Dante Valve Company and chair of the Aircraft Carrier Industrial Base Coalition (ACIBC), told Janes on 13 March.
“They inject inconsistency and uncertainty that cause companies to rethink their existing shipbuilding plans,” she said. “They cause a company to rethink whether they want to invest in navy shipbuilding because the work may or may not occur. It disincentives investment.”
14 March 2024
by Cem Devrim Yaylali
TCG Istanbul seen transiting the Bosphorus Strait enroute to the test site on 2 March. (Cem Devrim Yaylali)
The Turkish Navy performed its first Hisar-D missile launch from the Midlas vertical launch system (VLS) installed onboard the TCG Istanbul in the second week of March.
The event marked the first launch from the indigenous VLS on the high seas. The frigate was observed sailing northbound through the Bosphorus Strait to the test site on 2 March.
Haluk Görgün, the president of the Defence Industry Agency (SSB), shared a video of the firing on social media. The video showed the loading of the canisters with the missile on TCG Istanbul while the ship was at Karadeniz Ereğli naval base.
A single Hisar-D air-defence missile was launched from the Midlas VLS. The Hisar-D radar-guided missile used during the test is a naval version of the Hisar-O air-defence missile being developed for the Turkish Land Forces. The imaging infrared seeker of the original missile was replaced with an radio frequency seeker for the naval version. The missile has a dual-pulse engine with an approximate range of 25 km.
Safran Electronics & Defense has revealed details of a new variant of its New Generation Dagaie Syst...
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